Factory farming is a notoriously cruel practice; but did you know that it also impacts both people and the planet? In this episode, our host, Taylor Ganis, talks with the Senior Director of the Humane League, Mia Fernyhough, about how factory farming impacts animals, people and the planet.

Episode Resources:

• Donate.TheHumaneLeague.org
• TheHumaneLeague.org/Take-Action
• FastActionNetwork.com
• CrumblCruelty.com
• EndCages.com

Call to Action:

• Sign the CrumblCruelty.com petition (this can be done in under a minute)
• Donate to the Humane League if that is accessible for you (Donate.TheHumaneLeague.org)
• Take 10 minutes to check out the Humane League website and educate yourself about something new

Guest Speaker:

Mia Fernyhough: Senior Director of Animal Welfare of the Humane League

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

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This episode was edited by the Hopeful Environmentalist's incredible Audio Intern, Onochie Emeka.

Climate change is wreaking havoc on our world - from melting glaciers, to more intense storms. But did you know that climate change is also coming for our food and wine? In this episode, our host, Taylor Ganis, sits down with Michael P. Hoffmann, who is a distinguished professor at Cornell University, and one of the authors of the book, Our Changing Menu, to discuss the ways in which climate change impacts our food and food systems, how coffee and wine production are being impacted, and what we all can do to protect the future of the foods we so desperately need and love.

Everyone needs food, so this episode is especially important.

Episode Resources:

• Our Changing Menu Website
• Link to purchase the Our Changing Menu Book

Call to Action:

• The last 10 minutes of this episode discuss some ways to take action!

Guest Speaker:

Michael P. Hoffmann; Professor Emeritus in Cornell's Department of Entomology; Author of Our Changing Menu

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

This episode was edited by the Hopeful Environmentalist's incredible Intern, Onochie Emeka.

SOA’s Chief Program Officer Brandon Levy brand ON (he/him)

Ensuring ocean and environmental solutionists have the funding they need to turn their innovative ideas into action, is a critical part of fighting the climate crisis that we find ourselves in. The Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) is helping to do just that: fund innovative ocean and climate solutions and activate and arm young people with the tools and knowledge they need to take action. In this episode, our host, Taylor Ganis, speaks with Brandon Levy, the Chief Program Officer at SOA, about the various programs they have that are available to young people and ocean solutionists and innovators. We also discuss what deep sea mining is and how everyone listening has the ability to take action, no matter where you are in the world.

Episode Resources:

• Ecoprenuer application:
• Sustainable Ocean Alliance Website
• Sustainable Ocean Alliance Instagram
• John Oliver’s youtube video discussion on deep sea-mining

Call to Action:

• Take action to stop deep sea-mining and #DefendTheDeep https://www.soalliance.org/campaign-against-deep-seabed-mining

Guest Speaker:

Brandon Levy; Chief Program Officer, Sustainable Ocean Alliance

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

This episode was edited by the Hopeful Environmentalists incredible Intern, Onochie Emeka.

How do the movies we watch and the shows we binge help normalize having conversations about climate change (hint hint, you can find the answer to this in the episode)?

In this episode, I speak with the Editor-In-Chief of Good Energy, Carmiel Banasky, to dive into their latest report which looks at how, and if, todays films discuss /mention the climate crisis. We also discuss the role that Hollywood has in shaping our reality, and resources that screenwriters can access to integrate climate in their creative work.

Episode Resources

• Check out the the full report
• The Playbook (a guide to help screenwriters integrate climate change)
• Check out Carmiel's Website
• More about the Climate Reality Check
• The Last City Podcast

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

Women in leadership is a climate solution. In this episode, our host, Taylor, speaks with the founder and executive director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), Osprey Orielle Lake, to dive deeply into the concept of how women play integral roles in the fight for an equitable future. We discuss some incredible statistics that show how women in leadership can positively impact climate outcomes, how being open to other worldviews can change our collective behaviors, incredible rights of nature cases, and much more.

In Osprey’s book, "The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis", she poses the question, “can we undo the doing”. After listening to this episode, let us know your thoughts. Do you think we can undo the doing?

EarthX Congress of Conferences Event Info:

• Registration: earthx.org
• 20% Discount Code for EarthX Congress of Conferences: EXGREEN20
• Instagram: @earthxorg

Episode Resources

• Check out the Women's Earth and Climate Action Network
• Buy Osprey's Book
• Check out Osprey's Website

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

Have you ever wondered how the natural world and mental health are connected?

In this episode, our host, Taylor Ganis, speaks with Pamela Lowell, a licensed therapist, to discuss this very question, while also diving into topics like the interdisciplinary nature of the environmental field, how connecting with nature and wildlife helps us protect them, the power of community and working together to create solutions, among many other interesting topics.

We also take a journey to discover our spark bird. What is your spark bird? Or what is your reason to take action? Check out this episode to find out what this is and the importance of deeply examining this question and our own personal answers.

EarthX Congress of Conferences Event Info:

• Registration: earthx.org
• 20% Discount Code for EarthX Congress of Conferences: EXGREEN20
• Instagram: @earthxorg

Episode Resources

• Purchase Pamela's Book: My Summer With Ospreys
• Check out Pamela's Website

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

What do sustainable landscape design, tomatoes, rainwater harvesting, and humor have in common? They’re all discussed in this episode with our incredible guest speaker, Daryl Lindsey!

We dive into a variety of hot topics like the debate of whether or not to leave the leaves, why pollinator gardens are important, how sustainable landscape designs can save billion of gallons of water through collective action, and MORE!

Tune into this episode to get a whole lot of knowledge, and a splash of comedic relief.

EarthX Congress of Conferences Event Info:

• Registration: earthx.org
• 20% Discount Code for EarthX Congress of Conferences: EXGREEN20
• Instagram: @earthxorg

Episode Resources:

• Dary’s Website
• Daryl’s Instagram: @yardfarmer.co
• Make Your Sustainable Yard Functional
• Your Landscaping Choices Can Save 75% More Water
• How To Support Native Wildlife In Your Yard

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!

Have you heard people talking about Rights of Nature and wanted to learn more about it? Well, you’re in luck! In this episode of the Hopeful Environmentalist, our host, Taylor, sits down with Liz Downes from the the Rainforest Information Centre to talk about Rights of Nature, the court cases in Ecuador, and more!

EarthX Congress of Conferences

• Registration: earthx.org
• 20% Discount Code for EarthX Congress of Conferences: EXGREEN20
• Instagram: @earthxorg

Episode Resources:

• Rainforest Information Centre
  • Website: https://www.rainforestinformationcentre.org/
• Global Alliance for Rights of Nature
  • Website:
  • Instagram:
• Yes to Life No to Mining
  • Website: https://yestolifenotomining.org/
  • Instagram: @yestolifenotomining

You can follow the Hopeful Environmentalist on Instagram @hopeful_environmentalist to stay up to date on when episodes will be released and to get weekly doses of hope!